1720. MR. THOMAS BOSTON. 291 fed, not only to Make his mighty power appear in preferving her life as a fpark of fire in anocean, but to make his grace in her thine forth more bright than before.. Now, the Marrowof _Modern Divinity, part i. being as afore- faid reprinted at Edinburgh, anno 1 î is, with a preface by Mr James Hog minifter of Carnock,. a man of great learning and fingular piety and tend'ernefs, there had been a mighty stir made about it, efpecially in Fife, where, for feveral years 'be- fore, a conteft had been agitated, touching. the covenant of grace, whether it is abfolute or conditional. So that Mr Hog fòund himfelf obliged to publish an explication of paffages ecepted ,againft in the Marrow ; the which was printed early in, the year 1719. Thereafter feveral "pamphlets went abroad on 'that fub- jebt, the fame year; as for fhme years after alto. And Mr James Haddow principal of the college of St Andrew's, did, in his fermon before the fynod of Fife, April 7. 1719, attack the book forefaid : the which fermon was printed at the delire of that fynod, under the title of The record of. God, and duty of faith therein required. This humour goingou, the Marrow was complained of to the general affembly that year. And;there- ppon they appointed their commiiion to take care, that the purity of doétrine,mightbe preferved, and to call before them any authors or recommenders of books or pamphlets containing. any doótririe not agreeable to the Confefion of Faith. At the fame time complaint was alto made to them, on Profeffor Sim- fon's printed anfwers to Mr Webtter's libel againft hire, to which" the Profeffor continued. to refer in his teaching : but that matter was dropped, and the motion for inquiring thereinto repelled. The commiflion of that afjenibly, accordingly appointed a com- mittee of their number for the effeét forefaid ; who fufl'iciently Chewed theirzeal, but all upon one fide, namely, to preferve the doótrine from the mixture of Antinomianifm, which the hue and cry was now raifed about. That committee divided them- felves into two; whereof the one-fat at St Andrew's, and pre- pared excerpts out of the challengedbooks and prints, and fent their remarks to the other, who met at Edinburgh. Before thefe laft, about the beginning of April this year, were called to anfwer fòr. themfelves, Mr James Hog forefaid, Mr Alexander Hamilton minifter at Airth, afterward tranfported to Stirling, Mr James Brifbane at Stirling, and Mr John Warden at Gar gunnock ; all of them noted preachers of the doctrine of free grace,' and withal nonjurors too. Thefe brethren were examined feverally and apart, by the committee. Mr Hog being called, the fìrit query propofed to him was, Whether he owned himfelf author of the preface to the laft edition of the Marrowof Modern Divinity ? Towhich he anfwered affirmatively ; and, moreover, told diem, that that book, whereof he knew nothing before, came n"roft unexpe&edly to his hand, and he read it over as foots as he could ; that he had no thoughts of the reprinting of it,
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